Measuring rule device



w. E. EVANS 2,110,210

MEASURING RULE DEVICE Filed Sept. 26, 1936 ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFmi:

l l l MEASURING RULE DEVICE Application September 26, 1936, Serial No. 102,647

1 Claim.

My invention relates to a new and improved measuring rule device.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a measuring rule device of the type in which a flexible tape is located within a case, so that the tape can be pulled out of said case, or pushed into said case.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of this kind which shall be free from a turnable drum or barrel on which the tape is Wound and which will operate without the use of a spring or springs, for moving the tape back into the casing.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device in which the tape is retained external to the case, after the tape has been partially pulled out of the case, without the use of manually operated brakes or detents.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device having few and simple parts and which can be very cheaply constructed.

Other objects of my invention will be set forth in the following description and drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment thereof, it being understood that the above statement of the objects of my invention is intended to generally explain the same without limiting it in any manner.

Fig. 1 is atop plan view of the device, showing the tape slightly protruding from the case. Part of the case is represented as being broken away in Fig. 1 in order to illustrate the interior construction of the device.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of 35 Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view showing one face of the case and also showing the inner end of the tape as it is introduced between the elements of the stationary mandrel member.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the mandrel member which is aflixed to the inner surface of one of the parts or faces of the case.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 shows the central tubular rivet-member which connects the two parts of the case to each other.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line l'l' of Fig. 3.

As shown in Fig. 2, the-case I consists of two members 2 and 3 which are of substantially equal size and dimension. The edge portion 3a of the case member 3 overlaps the edge portion of the case member 2.

A tubular rivet-member 4 is used to connect the two case members 2 and 3 to each otherand also to connect the mandrel member 5 to the ease member 2.

The construction of the rivet-member 4 is shown in Fig. 6. Said rivet-member 4 has its ends of identical contour. One end of said rivetmember 4 is provided with longitudinal slots 6 and 6a, and said slotted end is shaped so as to provide tongues 1 and la and four shoulders 8. The other end of said member 4&3180 has tongues l and la and shoulders 8.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the mandrel member 5 has a central opening 9. Said opening 9 is provided with parallel straight-line faces or walls l and with concave end faces II. The walls ID are longer than the chords of Walls II.

The opening 9 is formed by cutting out the metal of the mandrel 5. g

In order to stiffen the Walls of said opening 9, a central portion 12 of thebase of the member can be stamped inwardly so as to provide a shoulder l4 at the inner face of the base of the mandrel member 5.

A construction similar to that of the member I2 (including theopening 9) is provided in the end wall of the case-member 2, and this is designated by the reference numeral [2a.

As shown in Fig. 2, the member I2a nests partially in the member l2 when the parts are assembled. With the exception of the inwardly stamped part of member l2, the base of mandrel 5 abuts the adjacent planar face of case-member 2. The tongues l and 1a are bent outwardly so as to provide a rivet-like connection between the members 2, 3, and 5. The case-member 3 is provided with an inwardly stamped central portion having an opening similar in shape to the opening 9, in order to permit the adjacent tongues 1 and 1a to be passed through said casemember 3.

Caps I5 and l5a have flanges which are spun over the tongues 7 and la so that these caps are rigidly maintained in position. Said caps I5 and l5a fit frictionally or have a drive fit in the tubular member 4. This construction prevents any turning of the mandrel member 5 relative to the case, because the member 5 is held with suflicient friction against the inner surface of the wall of the member 2.

The mandrel member 5 is provided with integral laterally projecting members 16 which may be substantially'rigid and these projecting members l6 are provided with resilient tongues lfia which are bent inwardly of the imaginary cylinder whose base is the circular edge of the member 5. The parts of the device can be made of metal or other suitable material.

The tape I 'l' is made of resilient and flexible steel or other metal, and it has the concavo-convex cross section shown in Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 3 the inner end l'la of the tape I! can be introduced between the member 4 and the inner.

ends of the resilient tongues lfia. For this purpose the case is provided with a lateral slot l8. The outer end of tape I! has an angular metal by the members l6a so that it is automatically;

coiled arqund the axis of the member 4, the wind ings being held spaced at all times from the member l aslshown in Fig. 2. The entering tongue or prong I6a which is directly aligned 'with'the I opening (if the case, and with which the rounded entering end of the tape first contacts, is shorter than the other prongs, the other prongs being of equal length. a

The resilience of the tape is sufiicient to maintain the inner portion of the tape in the 'form of a shell, said shell having a plurality of spiral turns, and the outer end of the tape is a continuationof the outermost winding or part of said shell, a

The resilient tongues Ilia can bend in a direction away from the central axis of the tube 4, as the thickness of said shell increases, although this bending movement is not necessary. Said tongues 16aact as resilient braking members, which automatically hold the tape in its adjusted position. Hence it requires a certain amount of manual force either to pull the tape out of the case or to push the tape into the case and the tape has sumcient stiffness to enable the same to be pushed into the case.

The tape has s'ufiicient resilience and flexibility so that it can be bent into the form of the shell which is illustrated in Fig. 2. The flexibility of the'tape permits it to straighten in said shell, from the concavo-convex cross-section illustrated in Fig. 7, to a cross-section having straightline elements. V

The inner end of the tape has an inwardly bent and rounded end-portion Ha. This is an important feature of the invention as otherwise the tape: could not be properly introduced into the casing between the tongues or prongs. The tape may. have an end which has an inherent flexing tendency to form the rounded tip Ila, even though said tip may be straightened by finger pressure. This rounded tip or flexing can be formed by a suitable tool. I do not wish to be limited to the use of said rounded tip, as other constructions would enable the end of the tape to bend in the form of an are, so that the tapecould be spirally wound.

When the tape is pulled out of the shell, its natural stifiness is sufficient to maintain the tape substantially straight, if the tape is held with its convex sidedownwards.

'The'tape bends from this straight-line shape only when about fifty inches of the tape have been pulled out of the case.

When the tape is held withitsconcave side downward, it is quite flexible and it begins to bend when about sixteen inches of the tape had been pulled out of the case.

The drawing is substantially to scale and it can be seen that the diameter of the case is about three inches. Hence theresilience of the tape s suflicient to cause it to wind up within the case, in the form of a spiral, whose outer wall abutsthe effective inner wall-portion of the case. That is,;the inner surfaces of members d Mia constitute a portion of the effective h W l f the ease These members It; and.

lBa may be defined as forming the tape-confining wall of the case.

Referring to Fig. 3, when the inner end of the tape is pushed inwardly, the natural resilience and contour of the tape causes its convex face to slide in contact with the tips of the resilient tongues Illa, until the inwardly bent end [1a of the tape comes into contact with another part of the tape. The rounded end l'la causes the tape to form the first turn or winding and the tape has suificient stiffness to enable the same to be pushed further inwardly, thus forming additional turns. The natural resilience of the tape maintains the respective turns thereof in tight contact with each other and outward pressure is maintained upon the tongues I601, which may bend outwardly as the result of said pressure. Said pressure is sufficient to substantially straighten the lateral elements of the tape from the concave-convex shape shown in Fig. 3, to a straight-line shape.

The fact that the tongues lfia retain the tape within the case so that it requires a certain pifll to withdraw the tape fromthe case, is a valuable feature of the invention as there is no danger of the tape shooting out suddenly as in prior devices in which the coil tape provided a spring force which projected the tape outwardly with considerable velocity, when a detent was released.

While I prefer to use the member 5 having tongues lfia which are separate from the wall of the case proper, I do not wish to be limited to this feature as the tongues 160. may be considered as forming part of the effective inner wall of the case.

In order to define the structure more clearly in the claim, and considering Fig. 4, the ends of the tongues lBa which are directly adjacent the projections l6, may be designated as the outer ends of said-tongues 16a. An imaginary circumscribing cylinder may be considered as corresponding generally to the projections 16. The tongues Ilia are therefore bent inwardly relative to said circumscribing cylinder.

I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, but it is clear that numerous changes and omissions can be made without departing from its spirit.

I claim:

A measuring-rule device comprising a case of general cylindrical contour, said case having an opening in the lateral wall thereof through which a tape can be inserted, the end walls of said case also having aligned openings substantially cenof the aforesaid contour, the inwardly stamped portion of one of said walls being nested within the inwardly stamped portion of said base, a hollow rivet member of general cylindrical form having tongues of concavo-convex cross section, said tongues being bent outwardly and over the concave walls of the openings of said base and of said end walls, said base having inwardly di rected projections having tongues which are bent inwardly relative to a circumscribing cylinder which corresponds to the contour of said base.

' 1 WILLIAM E. EVANS. 

